Open Source Obsidian Alternatives for Android

There are many alternatives to Obsidian for Android if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Android alternative is Logseq. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Obsidian and many of them are open source and available for Android so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Android alternatives to Obsidian are Joplin, Notesnook, Standard Notes and AppFlowy.

filter to find the best alternatives

Obsidian alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Todo List Managers or Task Management Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Self-Hosted, Free + Ad-free + No Tracking + Privacy focused, Android + Open Source, Windows, Linux and Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Obsidian.
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Alternatives list

  1. Logseq icon

    Logseq

     355 likes

    Local-first, privacy-focused notebook supporting Markdown and Emacs Org mode. Offers offline use, encrypted backups, plugin extensibility, LaTeX support, real-time collaboration, and hierarchical organization for personal knowledge management.

    245 Logseq alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Logseq screenshot 1
     
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    16
    Logseq vs Obsidian Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    jchalifour
    10

    Logseq is incredibly innovative and it respects my privacy and freedom by providing Free and open source software as opposed to proprietary tools.

    Top Negative Comment
    Power User
    3

    I found Obsidian to be a far more stable application than Logseq, which is important as I am switching platforms frequently and need something which functions properly and reliably on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Windows, and Linux. I decided to pay for Obsidian's sync feature and it has been smooth as butter - probably using a cloud drive would have worked well, but I find that convenience at a reasonable cost for an application I use daily is perfectly acceptable.

    Dash
    Negative
    0

    Obsidian works with your own files and file structure and uses interoperable markdown (pandoc, zettlr, Quarto, other Tools). Logseq uses an SQL-Database and an incompatible Outlier-Markdown-Dialect.

    3 of 16 comments
    • Logseq is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Logseq is Decentralized, Customizable and LightweightObsidian is not according to our users
  2. Joplin icon

    Joplin

     940 likes

    Open source app for managing notes and to-dos with Markdown support. Syncs seamlessly across devices using services like Dropbox and OneDrive. Offers end-to-end encrypted synchronicity, offline access, rich import/export options, and a Web Clipper for browsers.

    202 Joplin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Termux
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Joplin screenshot 1
     
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    13
    Joplin vs Obsidian Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    1

    It's open source, allows crypto your md notes on some cloud storage

    Top Negative Comment
    andgregorik
    24

    Joplin has a fracture of the features of Obsidian which is no wonder since Obsidian aims to become a powerful desktop knowledge base, unlike Joplin. For one thing, Joplin focuses on mobile<->desktop syncing and not on effective internal linking. They're similar at first glance only.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    embedded synchronization, clipper, encryption. No useless for personal notes graphs

    3 of 13 comments
    • Joplin is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Joplin is Lightweight, Minimalistic and DecentralizedObsidian is not according to our users
  4. Notesnook icon

    Notesnook

     212 likes

    Offers open-source, end-to-end encrypted notes with device-based privacy, cross-platform support, private vault, secure sync, offline access, markdown editor, exports to multiple formats, automatic backups, organizational tools, and strong encryption.

    383 Notesnook alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
    • Self-Hosted
    Notesnook screenshot 1
     
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    5
    Notesnook vs Obsidian Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    jchalifour
    2

    Notesnook respects its users by providing the software as open source, Obsidian does not.

    edwardixon
    Positive
    0

    Cheapest sync! Greatest mobile apps! App notes you actually want to use Easy text formatting. Simple to use. Simple, good notes experience

    Soup
    Positive
    0

    It's very good for taking notes, however there's no "graph" layout like obsidian does. Maybe in the future it will get that feature.

    3 of 5 comments
    • Notesnook is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Notesnook is LightweightObsidian is not according to our users
  5. Standard Notes icon

    Standard Notes

     707 likes

    Secure note-taking app with end-to-end encryption, unlimited syncing across all platforms, offline access, detailed organization through tags, strong passcode and biometric protections, and premium features like encrypted files, themes, web clipper, super note types, and hardware key support.

    204 Standard Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Plain text note on free version.
     
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    3
    Standard Notes vs Obsidian Comments
    Aaron
    Negative
    9

    Note-linking is a subscription only feature

    hex111
    Positive
    4

    i feel better paying for open source user friendlier projects, wysiwyg is just necessary for people to reasonably shift from the data robbery monopolies.

    Sam Lander
    0

    Standard Notes is not really an alternative to Obsidian. Standard Notes is open-source, more secure/private, and more simple.

    Standard Notes can be used across multiple devices and syncs.

    Obsidian telephones home constantly, even if you turn off updates and community plugins. But Obsidian is a very beautiful markdown app, that does more than just note-taking or to-do lists like Standard Notes.

    • Standard Notes is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Standard Notes is Minimalistic, Security-focused and CustomizableObsidian is not according to our users
  7. AppFlowy icon

    AppFlowy

     212 likes

    Open-source workspace offering complete data control, deep customization via themes, plugins, and templates, native multi-platform support using Flutter and Rust, offline access, privacy features, collaborative tools, and easy extensibility for all users.

    146 AppFlowy alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • Rust
    • Flathub
    AppFlowy screenshot 1
     
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    2
    AppFlowy vs Obsidian Comments
    as dll
    Negative
    0

    appflowy is not designed to be a note taking / PKM app

    Alstroemeria
    Negative
    0

    One's a work-flow manager, another is a note-taking app

    • AppFlowy is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • AppFlowy is Lightweight and CustomizableObsidian is not according to our users
  8. Simplenote icon

    Simplenote

     610 likes

    Cloud-based, open-source note-taking app supporting plain text notes, lists, and ideas with real-time sync, multi-device support, version history, markdown, tagging, collaborative editing, no ads, and free registration required for all cloud features.

    183 Simplenote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Simplenote screenshot 1
     
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    6
    Simplenote vs Obsidian Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Mayank-Arora
    -1

    Simplenote is love. You must try it once. I have SimpleNote installed on my Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and iPad. It works on all browsers and all operating systems. It is so easy to take notes and have them sync across all devices and web. It is so easy to quickly get to your notes. I can't live without simplenote as I have so much dependency on this simple tool. Simplenote really makes it simpler to organize 'note taking' task.

    Top Negative Comment
    Niminae
    3

    The most prominent feature of Obsidian is bi-directional linking between notes. Simplenote is more akin to sticky notes; they aren't really similar at all.

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Its too simple and is focused on simplicity unlike obsiidian

    3 of 6 comments
    • Simplenote is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Simplenote is Lightweight and MinimalisticObsidian is not according to our users
  9. SiYuan icon

    SiYuan

     83 likes

    SiYuan is a desktop Markdown Block-Reference and Bidirectional-Link note-taking application. Support fine-grained block-level reference and Markdown WYSIWYG.

    118 SiYuan alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Docker
    • Docker Hub
    • F-Droid
    SiYuan screenshot 1
     
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    4
    SiYuan vs Obsidian Comments
    Mark
    Positive
    3

    I honestly think SiYuan is the closest to Obisdian as an alternative compared to all other apps.

    Guest
    Positive
    2

    WYSIWYG is far more important than I thought. Besides, the data in SiYuan is .json, which allows better redering-performance and Notion-like typesetting.

    Randir
    Positive
    0

    WYSIWYG, better rendering performance

    3 of 4 comments
    • SiYuan is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • SiYuan is Customizable and LightweightObsidian is not according to our users
  10. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     391 likes

    GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:

    201 GNU Emacs alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Debian
    • MacPorts
    • Homebrew
    Beyond just being able to edit plain text files, Emacs includes special features to help you write in many different human languages and programming/markup languages
     
  11. Beaver Notes icon

    Beaver Notes

     72 likes

    Your personal note-taking haven for privacy and efficiency.

    106 Beaver Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    Beaver Notes screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Beaver Notes vs Obsidian Comments
    Power User
    Negative
    2

    A note taking application isn't the same as a knowledge management application, even if both allow you to take notes.

    Ulausear
    Negative
    2

    OpenSnitch says it connects to a google owned website.

    • Beaver Notes is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Beaver Notes is LightweightObsidian is not according to our users
  12. Trudido icon

    Trudido

     21 likes

    Offline in-device task manager and note app featuring smart creation, advanced organization, calendar and list views, Markdown notes, secure SHA-256 encryption, Material You theming, multiple color themes, no tracking or ads, and import/export for total ownership.

    56 Trudido alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    Trudido screenshot 1
     
  13. HelixNotes icon

    HelixNotes

     20 likes

    HelixNotes is a local markdown note-taking app built with Rust, Tauri 2.0, and SvelteKit. Your notes are standard .md files on your filesystem - sync with whatever you want or nothing at all.

    146 HelixNotes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    HelixNotes screenshot 1
     
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    1
    HelixNotes vs Obsidian Comments
    Aleksandr Dikov
    Negative
    0

    I was hoping Helix Notes would turn out to be a lightweight alternative to Obsidian, but unfortunately I have to say it doesn’t even come close.

    In essence, it’s more like a super-light and fast Markdown editor with navigation, strongly reminiscent of Joplin. But it runs way too unstably. Even something as basic as adding an attachment with relative paths is a real pain; I simply couldn’t do it. Worse, I couldn’t even set them manually because the program kept forcing absolute paths on its own. You can’t view the Markdown source and the document preview at the same time, and every time you switch between those modes the app insists on inserting unnecessary comments into the code and rewriting the links. From the metadata side, all you get is tags. There's no tabs.

    For all its drawbacks, Obsidian still gives you fine-grained control over every little detail of your data structure, whereas Helix Notes just brings chaos. It’s incomplete for any real data-organization purposes and far too unstable as an editor. Its only real advantage is the super-small size, but that's all.

    • HelixNotes is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • HelixNotes is LightweightObsidian is not according to our users
  14. Lockbook icon

    Lockbook

     23 likes

    Provides end-to-end encrypted note-taking, file storage, and sketching with syncing across platforms, zero data collection, no personal info or passwords required, open-source code for transparency, and optional premium storage, all via native and CLI tools.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Self-Hosted
    Lockbook screenshot 1
     
12 of 30 Obsidian alternatives